History of Pigments

Iron oxide and hydroxide minerals occur in a variety of colours and have been used as pigments since prehistoric times. In France and Spain, cave paintings using iron oxide pigments have been dated at ~30 000 years. In Australia, Aborigines mined ochre and transported it throughout the continent via an extensive nationwide trade network.

Ochre is the most important painting material used by traditional Aboriginal people. The source material was traded extensively across Australia in the past, with some material traveling many hundreds or even thousands of kilometres from where it was mined to where it was used. Paints are made by grinding the source rock to a powder and then mixing it with a fluid to bind it together. Traditionally this fluid could be saliva or blood, while in contemporary art an acrylic binder is used.

Ochre is plentiful across most of Australia and it occurs in many of the older archaeological sites. Some pieces have flattened surfaces indicating use and there is other evidence of pieces of ochre being ground up or pulverised. Most have been carbon dated with ages between 10 000 and 40 000 years (the effective limit of carbon dating), and one site had what appears to be an artists palette of ochres - dated 18 000 years old. The use of ochre pigments is thus a very long tradition in Australia.

Pigments were also commonly applied by fingers or hands, especially during painting of skin for ceremonies. Body painting occurred extensively as part of ceremonies in central and northern Australia.

Wilgie Mia is an ochre mine in the Weld Range of Western Australia. Excavations have occurred for at least 40 000 years and 14 000 m³ of ochre has been removed, leading to suggestions that this is the world's oldest ongoing mining operation.

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